User interfaces for utility locators

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure relates to user interfaces for enhanced utility locators. Such enhanced utility locators may include a variety of sensors and other such technologies for determining information regarding a buried or otherwise inaccessible utility line. Such information may be displayed in various ways to convey relative characteristics among multiple utilities, or to convey relative characteristics of one or more utilities with respect to a locator.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. $119(e) to co-pendingU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/786,350, entitled USERINTERFACES FOR ENHANCED UTILITY LOCATORS, filed Mar. 15, 2013, and toco-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/699,231,entitled USER INTERFACES FOR ENHANCED UTILITY LOCATORS, filed Sep. 10,2012. The content of each of these applications is incorporated byreference herein in its entirety for all purposes.

FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to user interfaces. More specifically,but not exclusively, this disclosure relates to graphical userinterfaces for devices used in locating utilities or buried objects.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates generally to graphical user interfaces forburied object locators (also referred to herein as “locating devices”).Such user interfaces may generally be used in utility locators to conveypertinent information regarding a buried or otherwise inaccessibleutility line to a user. Some of these user interfaces may be overlycomplicated and contribute to user error. Other examples of userinterfaces on conventional utility locators may be lacking in ability toprovide sufficient information in a succinct and clear manner to theuser, thus prohibiting the user to efficiently and accurately locate thetargeted buried utility.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art to address the above-describedas well as other problems.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to user interfaces for enhanced utilitylocators. Such enhanced utility locators may include a myriad of sensorsand other such technologies for determining information regarding theburied or otherwise inaccessible utility line. Some example of enhancedlocators and associated configurations and functions are described inco-assigned patents and patent applications including U.S. Pat. No.7,009,399, entitled OMNIDIRECTIONAL SONDE AND LINE LOCATOR, issued Mar.7, 2006, U.S. Pat. No. 7,443,154, entitled MULTI-SENSOR MAPPINGOMNIDIRECTIONAL SONDE AND LINE LOCATOR, issued Oct. 28, 2008, U.S. Pat.No. 7,518,374, entitled RECONFIGURABLE PORTABLE LOCATOR EMPLOYINGMULTIPLE SENSOR ARRAY HAVING FLEXIBLE NESTED ORTHOGONAL ANTENNAS, issuedApr. 14, 2009, U.S. Pat. No. 7,619,516, entitled SINGLE AND MULTI-TRACEOMNIDIRECTIONAL SONDE AND LINE LOCATORS AND TRANSMITTERS USED THEREWITH,issued Nov. 17, 2009, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/485,078, entitled LOCATOR ANTENNA CONFIGURATION, filed on May 11,2011, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/614,829, entitledQUAD-GRADIENT COILS FOR USE IN LOCATING SYSTEMS, filed on Mar. 23, 2012,U.S. Provisional Patent Applications Ser. No. 61/619,327 and 61/679,672,both entitled OPTICAL GROUND TRACKING APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS,filed on Apr. 2, 2012 and Aug. 3, 2012, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/521,362, entitled PHASE SYNCHRONIZED BURIEDOBJECT LOCATOR APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS, filed on Aug. 8, 2011,U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/561,809 entitledMULTI-FREQUENCY LOCATING SYSTEMS & METHODS, filed on Nov. 18, 2011, andU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/618,746, entitled DUALANTENNA SYSTEMS WITH VARIABLE POLARIZATION, filed on Mar. 31, 2012. Thecontent of each of these applications is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety (these applications may be collectively denotedherein as the “incorporated applications”).

In one aspect, an enhanced utility locator (also referred to as“locator” herein) may be enabled to allow for real-time depth correctionof the buried utility line. In such embodiments a distance sensor may beutilized to calculate the distance from which the locator is from theEarth's surface. By calculating the distance between the locator and theEarth's surface, a more accurate measurement of the depth of buriedutility lines beneath the Earth's surface may also be determined. Insuch a locator, the user interface may be enabled to display thiscorrected depth information. For instance, an indicator quantifying thisdepth may appear on the display for such an enhanced locator.

In another aspect, a user interface may be enabled to display variousother icons and indicators relating to corresponding information. Theseicons and indicators may be used to display, for instance, a GPS lockicon indicating a GPS fix, a corrected depth measurement number of atarget utility line, a signal strength measurement of the target utilityline, or other information expressly disclosed herein, disclosed byincorporated reference to the abovementioned applications and patents,or otherwise known in the art. Some of the indicators may also be usedto display information regarding wirelessly connected devices in alarger locating system such as remaining battery power on enabledtransmitters.

In some embodiments, the user interface of a locator may be enabled toindicate current direction on a sensed utility. This may be representedon the user interface by, for instance, a series of chevrons to indicatean upward moving direction of current, a ‘V’ shape to indicate adownward moving direction of current, or similar directional symbolsintegrated with the line representing the buried utility. Alternatively,symbols may move in the direction of the current. Similar indicators maybe used to indicate a flow direction of water or other liquid.

In another aspect, the user interface may also be enabled to indicate atrue depth or soil attenuation corrected depth of sensed buried utilityline or lines to the user. This may, for instance, be accomplishedthrough a coloring scheme whereby the sensed utility line may bevisually represented on the user interface by a spectrum of differentcolored lines based on the amount percentage of current loss. In suchembodiments, the locator may be enabled to communicate with thetransmitter to determine the amount of current being put into the targetutility line.

In another aspect, a user interface may be enabled to display tags oneach sensed utility line to notate utility type. For instance, a watericon may appear connected to or otherwise positioned relative to autility line determined to be a water pipe, or an electricity icon mayappear connected to or otherwise positioned relative to a utility linedetermined to be an electric line. Similarly, a question mark or othericon may appear connected to or otherwise positioned relative to autility line with undetermined status.

In yet another aspect, the user interface may visually communicatepassively connected AC lines to the user. For instance, a single phaseline may be represented by a single wavy line whereas an in-groundthree-phase line may be represented by three wavy lines. Alternatives towavy lines are contemplated, including pulsing lines that disappear andreappear periodically. A special notation may also be made for overheadpower lines. These lines may also be presented to overlap other sensedutilities, may be depicted in color, or may be depicted with particulardesign elements on the user interface to indicate they are located abovethe other utilities.

A line for a first utility that is closer to the locator may appearwider than a line for a second utility that is farther away from thelocator. Similarly, shades of colors, different colors, adjustable sizesof images, or other variations in presenting information relating todifferent utility lines may indicate such relative distance.

Various additional aspects, features, and functionality are furtherdescribed below in conjunction with the appended Drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present application may be more fully appreciated in connection withthe following detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of locator in use;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of one embodiment of an enhanced utilitylocator;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a user interface showing possibleindicators and icons;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a user interface representing currentdirection on a buried utility line;

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a user interface illustrating a way ofindicating percentage of current loss on the sensed utility orutilities;

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a user interface illustrating a way ofindicating physical depth of sensed utility or utilities;

FIG. 7 is an illustration of a user interface illustrating tagging ofthe buried utility lines;

FIG. 8 is an illustration of a user interface illustrating a passivelysensed AC lines;

FIG. 9 is illustration of a user interface illustrating a way ofindicating the presence of overhead power lines; and

FIG. 10 is illustration of a user interface illustrating a way ofindicating the presence of various utilities.

FIG. 11 is an illustration of a user interface embodiment illustratingan example a cluster of lines representation.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of a user interface embodiment illustratingan example an envelope of lines representation.

FIG. 13 is an illustration of an embodiment illustrating an example of arefined line representation from a cluster of odd and/or even harmonics.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Overview

The present disclosure relates generally to user interfaces for enhancedutility locators. Such enhanced utility locators may include a myriad ofsensors and other such technologies for determining informationregarding the buried or otherwise inaccessible utility line. Someexamples of enhanced locators and associated configurations andfunctions are described in co-assigned patents and patent applicationsincluding U.S. Pat. No. 7,009,399, entitled OMNIDIRECTIONAL SONDE ANDLINE LOCATOR, issued Mar. 7, 2006, U.S. Pat. No. 7,443,154, entitledMULTI-SENSOR MAPPING OMNIDIRECTIONAL SONDE AND LINE LOCATOR, issued Oct.28, 2008, U.S. Pat. No. 7,518,374, entitled RECONFIGURABLE PORTABLELOCATOR EMPLOYING MULTIPLE SENSOR ARRAY HAVING FLEXIBLE NESTEDORTHOGONAL ANTENNAS, issued Apr. 14, 2009, U.S. Pat. No. 7,619,516,entitled SINGLE AND MULTI-TRACE OMNIDIRECTIONAL SONDE AND LINE LOCATORSAND TRANSMITTERS USED THEREWITH, issued Nov. 17, 2009, U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 61/485,078, entitled LOCATOR ANTENNACONFIGURATION, filed on May 11, 2011, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/614,829, entitled QUAD-GRADIENT COILS FOR USE INLOCATING SYSTEMS, filed on Mar. 23, 2012, U.S. Provisional PatentApplications Ser. No. 61/619,327 and 61/679,672, both entitled OPTICALGROUND TRACKING APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS, filed on Apr. 2, 2012and Aug. 3, 2012, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/521,362, entitled PHASE SYNCHRONIZED BURIED OBJECT LOCATOR APPARATUS,SYSTEMS, AND METHODS, filed on Aug. 8, 2011, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/561,809 entitled MULTI-FREQUENCY LOCATINGSYSTEMS & METHODS, filed on Nov. 18, 2011, and U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/618,746, entitled DUAL ANTENNA SYSTEMS WITHVARIABLE POLARIZATION, filed on Mar. 31, 2012. The content of each ofthese applications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety(these applications may be collectively denoted herein as the“incorporated applications”).

The following exemplary embodiments are provided for the purpose ofillustrating examples of various aspects, details, and functions of thepresent disclosure; however, the described embodiments are not intendedto be in any way limiting. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skillin the art that various aspects may be implemented in other embodimentswithin the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

For example, in one aspect, a locator may be enabled to allow for realtime depth correction of the buried utility line. In such embodiments adistance sensor may be utilized to calculate the distance the locator isfrom the Earth's surface. By calculating the distance the locator isfrom the Earth's surface, a more accurate measurement of the buriedutility lines depth within the Earth may also be determined. In suchenhanced locator, the user interface may be enabled to display thiscorrected depth information. For instance, an indicator quantifying thisdepth may appear on the display for such an enhanced locator.

In another aspect, a user interface in keeping with the presentdisclosure may be enabled to display various other icons and indicators.These icons and indicators may be used to display, for instance, a GPSlock icon indicating a GPS fix, a depth measurement number of the targetutility line, and a signal strength measurement of the target utilityline. Some of the indicators may be used to display informationregarding wirelessly connected devices in the larger locating systemsuch as remaining battery power on enabled transmitters.

In some embodiments, the user interface of a locator may be enabled toindicate current direction on a sensed utility. This may be representedon the user interface by, for instance, by a series of chevrons toindicate an upward moving direction of current, a ‘V’ shape to indicatea downward moving direction of current, or similar directional symbolsbuilt into the line representing the buried utility.

In another aspect, the user interface may also be enabled to indicate atrue depth or soil attenuation corrected depth of sensed buried utilityline or lines to the user. This may, for instance, be accomplishedthrough a coloring scheme whereby the sensed utility line may bevisually represented on the user interface by a spectrum of differentcolored lines based on the amount percentage of current loss. In suchembodiments, the locator may be enabled to communicate with thetransmitter to determine the amount of current being put into the targetutility line.

In another aspect, a user interface in keeping with the present may beenabled to display tags on each sensed utility line to notate utilitytype. For instance, a water icon may appear connected to a utility linedetermined to be a water pipe or an electricity icon may appearconnected to a utility line determined to be an electric line.

In some embodiments, the user interface may visually communicatepassively connected AC lines to the user. For instance, a single phaseline may be represented by a single wavy line whereas an in ground threephase line may be represented by three wavy lines. A special notationmay also be made for overhead power lines. These lines may also be madeto overlap other sensed utilities on the user interface to indicate theyare located above the other utilities.

Various additional aspects, features, and functions are described belowin conjunction with FIGS. 1 through 13 of the appended Drawings.

It is noted that as used herein, the term, “exemplary” means “serving asan example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect, detail, function,implementation, and/or embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is notnecessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over otheraspects and/or embodiments.

Example Devices and User Interfaces Used in Buried Object LocatingSystems

Turning to FIG. 1, a locator such as the locator 100 may be employed bya user 110 to sense buried utilities such as buried utility 120 andburied utility 130. The buried utilities, such as buried utility 120,may be energized with one or more frequencies by a transmitter 140. Insome embodiments, a locator may be enabled to also sense one or moresignals emitted by a pipe sonde or beacon (not illustrated). Locatorsmay be enabled to visually communicate information to the user. Suchinformation may include, for example, a corrected depth measurement of atarget utility, a signal strength measurement, system statusinformation, and other information regarding sensed utility lines.Furthermore, this information may include graphics representing sensedoverhead lines such as overhead lines 150 and/or bleed off current fromthe targeted utility line due to circumstances such as to a divergentbranch 160 along the buried utility line 120 or other nearby utilitylines such as the buried utility 130.

Turning to FIG. 2, a locator such as the locator 100 may further becomposed of a user interface section 210, a handle 220, and a mast 230.The user interface section 210 may further be composed of a displayscreen 212 and a series of user controls 214. In some embodiments, suchas in the locator 100, a screen lid 216 may be included allowing theuser to close and protect the display screen 212 when the locator 100 isnot in use. In some embodiments of an enhanced locator, other sensorelements may be connected via ports, for instance USB ports, on thefront of the user interface section 210. Some of these sensors andapparatus may include, but are not limited to, cameras and GPS sensorelements. The handle 220 may be shaped to allow a user to grip thelocator device. A battery 222 may connect to the back of the handle topower the locator 100. Some examples of batteries that may be used inenhanced locators are described in co-assigned patents and patentapplications including U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13,532,721,entitled MODULAR BATTERY PACK APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS, filed onJun. 25, 2012 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/663,617, entitled MODULAR BATTERY PACK APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, ANDMETHODS INCLUDING VIRAL DATA AND/OR CODE TRANSFER, filed on Jun. 24,2012. The content of each of these applications is incorporated byreference herein in its entirety. In some embodiments, various othersensors, apparatus, and other elements may also attach to the handlesection. For instance, in locator 100, an optical ground trackingapparatus 224 may be secured to the handle 220. Some examples of opticalground tracking apparatus and associated configurations and functionsare described in co-pending patent applications including U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/619,327, entitled OPTICALGROUND TRACKING APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS, filed on Apr. 2, 2012and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/679,672, entitledOPTICAL GROUND TRACKING APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS, filed on Aug.3, 2012. The content of each of these applications is incorporated byreference herein in its entirety. Along the mast 230 of locator 100 mayinclude a series of antenna nodes such as the antenna node 232, antennanode 234, and antenna node 236. The antenna nodes 232, 234, and 236 mayall be of various different configurations. Examples of antennaconfigurations, systems, and methods of use may be described in thevarious co-assigned patents and patent applications including U.S. Pat.No. 7,009,399, entitled OMNIDIRECTIONAL SONDE AND LINE LOCATOR, issuedMar. 7, 2006, U.S. Pat. No. 7,443,154, entitled MULTI-SENSOR MAPPINGOMNIDIRECTIONAL SONDE AND LINE LOCATOR, issued Oct. 28, 2008, U.S. Pat.No. 7,518,374, entitled RECONFIGURABLE PORTABLE LOCATOR EMPLOYINGMULTIPLE SENSOR ARRAY HAVING FLEXIBLE NESTED ORTHOGONAL ANTENNAS, issuedApr. 14, 2009, U.S. Pat. No. 7,619,516, entitled SINGLE AND MULTI-TRACEOMNIDIRECTIONAL SONDE AND LINE LOCATORS AND TRANSMITTERS USED THEREWITH,issued Nov. 17, 2009, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/485,078, entitled LOCATOR ANTENNA CONFIGURATION, filed on May 11,2011, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/614,829, entitledQUAD-GRADIENT COILS FOR USE IN LOCATING SYSTEMS, filed on Mar. 23, 2012,U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/521,362, entitled PHASESYNCHRONIZED BURIED OBJECT LOCATOR APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS,filed on Aug. 8, 2011, U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/561,809 entitled MULTI-FREQUENCY LOCATING SYSTEMS & METHODS, filed onNov. 18, 2011, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/618,746, entitled DUAL ANTENNA SYSTEMS WITH VARIABLE POLARIZATION,filed on Mar. 31, 2012. The content of each of these applications isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Various other sensor elements and apparatuses may also be located alongthe shaft of the mast 230 such as, but not limited to, a flasherapparatus 238 and a distance sensor element 240. The flasher apparatus238 may be enabled to provide flashes of light increasing the visibilityof the user to oncoming traffic or other such potential hazards. Thedistance sensor element 240 may be enabled to calculate the distance thelocator is from the operating surface and used to more accuratelydetermine the depth of sensed buried utility. The distance sensorelement 240 may be include one or more distance measuring sensors suchas, for example, a GP2Y0A02YKF sensor unit available from SHARPMicroelectronics of Camas, Wash. By calculating the distance the locatoris lifted from the operating surface, a corrected depth of the targetedburied utility within the Earth's surface may be quantified andcommunicated to the user in real time. Some embodiments of a locator mayalso include a series of other sensors such as, but not limited to,accelerometers, gyroscopic sensors, MEMS sensors, and compass sensors.In such embodiments, these sensors may be enabled to provide the locatorwith inertial navigation capabilities. Additional technologies such asISM radio, WLAN, or other wireless communication technologies may alsobe included in embodiments of a locator where wireless communicationsbetween the locator and other peripheral devices may be used. Examplesof peripheral devices may include, but are not limited to, transmittersor line illuminators, pipe sondes, laptop and tablet computers, andsmart phones. Information gathered by a locator may be communicated invarious ways including graphically on user interface displays. As usedherein, a “peripheral device” or “peripheral devices” may refer to oneor more devices used in an overall locating system.

Turning to FIG. 3, a user interface display 300 for a locator maylargely be rectangular in shape and may have a central circular locatingdisplay area 310 surrounded by a series of icons and indicators that maybe used to communicate useful information to the user. One of skill inthe art will appreciate that dimensions, shapes and positions of thedisplay 300, and its areas, indicators and icons may vary whileremaining within the scope and spirit of the invention.

Within the center of the locating display area 310, a reticle 320 may beused to notate the center point of the sensed area with respect to alocator (e.g., locator 100). A utility line 330 may appear within thelocating display area 310 to communicate where a sensed buried utilityline is located in relation to the locator/user. This line may be formedon display 300 in a myriad of ways to notate specific informationregarding the buried utility.

Some of the various different configurations, systems, and methods forgraphically representing the line of the buried utility are described inthe various co-assigned patents and patent applications including U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/607,510, entitled DUAL SENSEDLOCATING SYSTEMS & METHODS, filed on Mar. 6, 2012, U.S. Pat. No.7,741,848, entitled ADAPTIVE MULTICHANNEL LOCATOR SYSTEM FOR MULTIPLEPROXIMITY DETECTION, issued Jun. 22, 2010. The content of each of theseapplications is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.Additional ways of graphically representing the buried utility orutilities are discussed herein.

Various icons and indicators may be included on the user interfacedisplay 300 to communicate pertinent information regarding the locatingsystem and buried utility information. For example, on the top leftcorner of the user interface display 300, a signal strength indicator340 may be included that quantifies the strength of current sensed on aburied utility. In embodiments of the enhanced locating system where thelocator detects multiple utility lines, multiple corresponding signalstrength indicators 340 may be displayed in a manner that coordinatesthem with their respective utility line indicator 330 (e.g., using colorcoordination or other visual indicator.

A depth indicator 350 may indicate corrected depth of a targeted buriedutility line beneath the Earth's surface as sensed by the locator. Thedepth number may be corrected by taking the distance ‘r’ (i.e., thedistance between the sensed utility and locator illustrated in FIG. 1)and subtracting the distance between the locator and the Earth's surfaceas calculated by a distance sensor element. In embodiments of theenhanced locating system where the locator detects multiple utilitylines, multiple corresponding depth indicators 340 may be displayed in amanner that coordinates them with their respective utility lineindicator 330 (e.g., using color coordination or other visual indicator.Alternately the depth shown may be associated with the line 330 closestto reticle 320.

On the top right corner, a locator battery indicator 360 may be includedto communicate remaining power on the battery for the enhanced locator.In embodiments of the enhanced locating system where the locator isenabled to communicate with one or more peripheral devices, peripheraldevice battery indicators 370 may display information regardingremaining battery power for each wirelessly connected peripheral device.By way of example, the remaining battery power is indicated for threeseparate peripheral devices resulting in three peripheral device batteryindicators 370. In some embodiments, the battery indicators 370 may besorted. For instance, the closest peripheral device, as determined usingradio signal strength, may appear as the top battery indicator 370 whilethe furthest peripheral device may appear as the bottom batter indicator370. Some embodiments may color code or otherwise notate which batteryindicator 370 belongs to which peripheral device.

A GPS lock icon 380 may also be included to communicate to the user asufficient lock on a GPS signal. In some embodiments, a blinking iconmay indicate no lock. Other icons (not shown) may be used to communicateother location technologies. In some embodiments, line trace and sondeicons may be used to indicate the source of the sensed signal by thelocator. Further information regarding line and sonde icons, includingmethods of detection, may be found in U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/607,510, entitled DUAL SENSED LOCATING SYSTEMS &METHODS, filed on Mar. 6, 2012 and U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/787,711, entitled DUAL SENSED LOCATING SYSTEMS AND METHODS, filed onMar. 6, 2013, the entirety of which are incorporated herein. Otherpossible icons may include a Bluetooth icon 385 and/or a wireless localarea network icon 390.

Turning to FIG. 4, a user interface display 400 illustrates a utilityline's current direction 410. Direction of the current may be indicated,for instance, as a series of directional icons within the line initself. The directional icons may be static or dynamic (e.g., thedirectional icons may appear to move in the apparent direction of thecurrent). In the user interface display 400, a series of chevron-typemarks are used to compose the utility line's current direction 410, thusindicating that the current direction is moving in a particulardirection with respect to the orientation of the locator. Otherindicators of current direction may also be used in alternativeembodiments of user interfaces. Those indicators may include differentdirectional icons and/or different manners of display, including movingicons, color changes, and variations in size, among other methods fordisplaying a direction of current.

Turning to FIG. 5, a user interface display 500 illustrates one way ofindicating sensed current strength within sensed utility lines. In suchembodiments, knowledge of a current's strength as applied to a targetutility line (e.g., as applied by transmitter 140 of FIG. 1) may beneeded to perform a ‘true depth’ or soil attenuation correction. With aknown amount of applied current, a calculation may be made where thepercentage of current loss corrected for distance as sensed on theutility line may be, for instance, visually represented with a colorscheme or a size-of-line scheme.

For instance, the user interface display 500 illustrates a low signalloss utility line 510 which may be red in color, and a high signal lossutility line 520 which may be blue in color. In use, a spectrum ofcolors may be used where low current loss and high current loss may berepresented by colors on opposite sides of the spectrum. In someembodiments, a wireless connection may be made between a locator (e.g.,locator 100 of FIG. 1) and enable a transmitter (e.g., transmitter 140of FIG. 1) to wirelessly communicate the amount of current thetransmitter is putting into a target utility line. Different colors maynot be necessary in some embodiments. For example, shades of the samecolor may be used to convey the signal loss. When patterns or icons areused to fill or form the lines (e.g., in black/white or grayscale userinterfaces), the size or spacing of those patterns of icons may bevaried to indicate strengths, depths and other information describedherein.

Some embodiments may utilize a frequency muxing or frequency switchingscheme where synchronization between the locator and transmitter may benecessary. In such embodiments, an average of the calculated percentageof current loss between the various frequencies may be used to improvethe true depth estimation. Further understanding of similar frequencyswitching schemes may be found in U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 61/614,829, entitled QUAD-GRADIENT COILS FOR USE IN LOCATINGSYSTEMS, filed on Mar. 23, 2012 the entirety of which is incorporatedherein. A variety of other schemes for indicating percentage of currentloss may be used in various alternative embodiments.

Turning to FIG. 6, a user interface display 600 may visually communicaterelative depth (or other relative characteristics) of sensed utilitylines to the user. The user interface display 600 illustrates a lowsignal loss utility line 610 and a high signal loss utility line 620. Adepth indicator circle 630 is circumscribed by the locating displayarea. The high signal loss utility line 620 may not extend past thecircumference of the depth indicator circle 630 indicating to the userthat the high signal loss utility line 620 may be located at a greaterdepth than the low signal loss utility line 610. In such embodiments auser may be able to easily visually decode the relative depth of sensedutilities. A myriad of other ways of visually communicating the relativedepth of the sensed utility lines may also be used in the variousalternative embodiments of the present disclosure, including variationsin color or fill of the displayed lines, size of the displayed lines, anumber corresponding to respective depths, and others. Additionally,overlaying a closer line on top of a deeper line may be used where thelines intersect.

Turning to FIG. 7, a tagging system may be used to visually representthe different types of sensed utilities. In the user interface display700 for instance, a low signal loss utility line 710 may be determinedto be an electric line and be tagged with an appropriate electric linetag 715. The high signal loss utility line 720 may, on the other hand,be determined to be a water pipe and be tagged with a water line tag725. In such embodiments, these tags may be colored or patterned tomatch their corresponding utility line to aid in visually decoupling onetag from the other. Other ways of visually representing the type of thesensed utility lines may also be used in alternative embodiments of userinterfaces for enhanced locators, including use of patterns or symbols(e.g., the tags 715 and 725, letters like “E” for electric and “W” forwater, etc.) inside outer boundaries of lines to indicate the type ofutility.

In FIG. 8, a user interface display 800 depicts a way of visuallycommunicating passively connected AC lines. The user interface display800 illustrates a low signal loss utility line 810, a high signal lossutility line 820, and a three-phase utility line 830. In suchembodiments, a single phase line may be represented, for instance, as asingle wavy line. Overlapping of lines, as seen in the low signal lossutility line 810 and three-phase utility line 830 may be used toindicate which utility is located further within the Earth's surfacefrom the locator. In this embodiment, the low signal loss utility line810 may be located above the three-phase utility line 830, as the lowsignal loss utility line 810 overlaps the three-phase utility line 830.Alternative ways of visually representing passively connected AC linesmay also be used in various alternative embodiments. Passively detectedlines may be displayed in gray scale for example.

Turning to FIG. 9, overhead power lines may be visually indicated as aspecial case of three-phase utility lines. The user interface display900 depicts a low signal loss utility line 910, a high signal lossutility line 920, and an overhead power indication line 930 passing overthe other two lines 910 and 920. Since, in physical space, the overheadpower lines would be located above ground, and therefore above thesensed buried utilities, the overhead power indication line 930 may beillustrated as overlapping the low signal loss utility line 910 and thehigh signal loss utility line 920. Presence of overhead power lines maybe communicated visually to the user in a myriad of different ways inalternative embodiments.

It is contemplated that user interfaces may display information atdifferent orientations other than the top-level orientation depicted inFIGS. 3 through 9. For example, a cross-section/side view (not shown)may be used to indicate respective depths of lines. Using a sideorientation, line 910 would be displayed between lines 930 and 920 alonga vertical axis, where line 920 would be display below line 910, andline 930 would be displayed above line 910. Similarly, horizontalposition information may be provided in the side view to show horizontaloffset of each line from the position of the locator. In someembodiments, isometric views may be shown in perspective.

By way of example, FIG. 10 depicts a side view 1000 of lines 1010, 1020and 1030, which correspond to lines 910, 920 and 930 of FIG. 9. Alsoshown is the contour of the Earth's surface 1001. Indications of depthsand heights may be provided by way of an actual number of the respectivedepth or height where “Depth I,” “Depth II,” and “Height” are labeled inFIG. 10. The relative sizes of lines 1010 and 1020 may indicate variouscharacteristics of those lines, including the type of line, the depth ofthe line with respect to a locator, or other characteristics.

Turning to FIG. 11, some utilities may be illustrated as a cluster oflines representation. For instance, the user interface display 1100 maydisplay a cluster of lines 1110. Alternative embodiments may show anenvelope of lines 1210 representation as illustrated in the userinterface display 1200 of FIG. 12. In yet other embodiments, the clusterof lines 1110 of display 1100 or the envelop of lines 1210 of display1200 may be grouped or resolved into one or a few lines such as thegrouped line 1310 of the user interface display 1300 of FIG. 13. In yetother embodiments,

Various embodiments of a user interface display in keeping with thepresent disclosure may be generated to display and/or otherwise indicateadditional representations of information or data. Examples ofinformation/data may include, but are not limited to, graphicalrepresentations or icons and/or indicators of objects or devices such asmanhole covers, transformers, radio-frequency identification (RFID)tags, and/or slack loops. Some embodiments may also code passive versusactive lines and/or code power versus high frequency (non-harmonicstructure) lines.

Alternatively, a three-dimensional rendering may be displayed on atwo-dimension display to indicate depths/heights of lines, relativehorizontal and vertical positions of those lines, and directions of eachline.

It is further contemplated that a display may provide a touchscreen thatcan be manipulated by a user to, for example, “virtually” move the useraround a virtual environment.

One of skill in the art will appreciate that additional indications ofother information are also contemplated, including indications ofenvironmental hazards (e.g., traffic, physical obstructions, etc.), andthat real-time changes to information may be reflected on the display.

In some configurations, the various systems and modules include meansfor performing various functions as described herein. In one aspect, theaforementioned means may be a processor or processors and associatedmemory in which embodiments reside, and which are configured to performthe functions recited by the aforementioned means. The aforementionedmeans may be, for example, displays, video or other signal processors,video memory or storage devices, logic devices, memory, and/or otherelements residing in a buried object locator or other instrumentationdevice or other device or system on which displays may be providedand/or other modules or components as are described herein. In anotheraspect, the aforementioned means may be a module or apparatus configuredto perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

In one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions, methods andprocesses described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware,or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionsmay be stored on or encoded as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computerstorage media. Storage media may be any available media that can beaccessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, suchcomputer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or otheroptical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storagedevices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desiredprogram code in the form of instructions or data structures and that canbe accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, includescompact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc(DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce datamagnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope ofcomputer-readable media.

It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps or stagesin the processes and methods disclosed are examples of exemplaryapproaches. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that thespecific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearrangedwhile remaining within the scope of the present disclosure. Theaccompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in asample order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order orhierarchy presented unless explicitly noted.

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signalsmay be represented using any of a variety of different technologies andtechniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information,signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout theabove description may be represented by voltages, currents,electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields orparticles, or any combination thereof.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrativelogical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described inconnection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented aselectronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. Toclearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software,various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and stepshave been described above generally in terms of their functionality.Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or softwaredepends upon the particular application and design constraints imposedon the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the describedfunctionality in varying ways for each particular application, but suchimplementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing adeparture from the scope of the disclosure.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits describedin connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implementedor performed in a processing element with a general purpose processor,special purpose processor, digital signal processor (DSP), anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A generalpurpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, theprocessor may be any conventional processor, controller,microcontroller, or state machine, which may be programmed to performthe specific functionality described herein, either directly or inconjunction with an external memory or memories. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

As used herein, computer program products or computer program mediacomprise tangible computer-readable media including all forms ofcomputer-readable medium except, to the extent that such media is deemedto be non-statutory, transitory propagating signals.

In one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions, methods andprocesses described may be implemented in whole or in part in hardware,software, firmware, or any combination thereof If implemented insoftware, the functions may be stored on or encoded as one or moreinstructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readablemedia includes computer storage media. Storage media may be anyavailable media that can be accessed by a computer.

By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media caninclude RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium thatcan be used to carry or store desired program code in the form ofinstructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc,optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray discwhere disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproducedata optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also beincluded within the scope of computer-readable media

The various illustrative functions and circuits described in connectionwith the embodiments disclosed herein with respect to displays andprovided user interfaces and other textual or graphical elements,representations, or functions may be implemented or performed in one ormore processing elements with a general purpose processor, a specialpurpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array(FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistorlogic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designedto perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processormay be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may beany conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or statemachine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination ofcomputing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, aplurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunctionwith a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

The scope of the presently claimed invention is not intended to belimited to the aspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the fullscope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein reference toan element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one”unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” Unlessspecifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. Aphrase referring to “at least one of” a list of items refers to anycombination of those items, including single members. As an example, “atleast one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a; b; c; a and b; a andc; b and c; and a, b and c.

The previous description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enableany person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure.Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may beapplied to other aspects without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited tothe aspects shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the appended claims and their equivalents.

We claim:
 1. A utility locator, comprising: a housing; an antenna arrayfor sensing a buried utility; a memory; a processing element forgenerating information associated with the buried utility; and a displaycoupled to the processing element and/or memory, wherein the displayprovides a user interface for visually communicating information byrendering the information on the display device, the displayedinformation including one or more of a representation of informationrelating to a depth of at least one sensed utility with respect to afirst position of the locator, a representation of information relatingto a type of the at least one sensed utility, and a representation ofinformation relating to a direction of current relating to the at leastone sensed utility.
 2. The locator of claim 1, wherein the visuallycommunicated information includes: information relating to a first depthof a first sensed utility with respect to a first position of thelocator; and information relating to a second depth of a second sensedutility with respect to the first position of the locator and the firstdepth of the first sensed utility.
 3. The locator of claim 2, whereinthe visually communicated information further includes: informationrelating to a height of a third sensed utility with respect to the firstposition of the locator, the first depth of the first sensed utility,and the second depth of the second sensed utility.
 4. The locator ofclaim 2, wherein the visual communication of the information relating tothe first depth depicts a first color relating to the first depthrelative to the first position of the locator, and the visualcommunication of the information relating to the second depth depicts asecond color relating to the second depth relative to the first positionof the locator.
 5. The locator of claim 2, wherein the visualcommunication of the information relating to the first depth depicts afirst pattern relating to the first depth relative to the first positionof the locator, and the visual communication of the information relatingto the second depth depicts a second pattern relating to the seconddepth relative to the first position of the locator.
 6. The locator ofclaim 2, wherein the visual communication of the information relating tothe first depth depicts a first length relating to the first depthrelative to the first position of the locator, and the visualcommunication of the information relating to the second depth depicts asecond length relating to the second depth relative to the firstposition of the locator.
 7. The locator of claim 6, wherein the secondlength is shorter than the first length when the second depth is greaterthan the first depth, and the second length is longer than the firstlength when the second depth is less than the first depth.
 8. Thelocator of claim 6, wherein the shorter of the first length and thesecond length is displayed within an inner section of the userinterface, and the longer of the first length and the second length isdisplayed within both the inner section and an outer section of the userinterface so as to depict its longer length with respect to the shorterof the first and second lengths.
 9. The locator of claim 2, wherein thevisual communication of the information relating to the first depthdepicts a first width relating to the first depth relative to the firstposition of the locator, and the visual communication of the informationrelating to the second depth depicts a second width relating to thesecond depth relative to the first position of the locator.
 10. Thelocator of claim 1, wherein the information includes informationrelating to a first type of a first sensed utility, and a second type ofa second sensed utility; wherein the first type designates an electricutility line and the second type designates a water utility line. 11.The locator of claim 1, wherein the information includes informationrelating to a first direction of current relating to a first sensedutility; wherein the information includes one or more arrows or otherdirectional indicators pointing in the first direction of current. 12.The locator of claim 1, wherein a true depth or soil attenuationcorrection is visually represented on sensed utility lines based onpercentage of current loss.
 13. The locator of claim 1, wherein a singleline is visually depicted on the user interface to identify asingle-phase electric utility line and three lines are visually depictedon the user interface to identify a three-phase electric utility line.14. The locator of claim 1, wherein a passively connected AC line isvisually depicted on the user interface as above ground.
 15. The locatorof claim 1, wherein the visually communicated information includes:information relating to a first directional orientation of a firstsensed utility with respect to a first position of the locator; andinformation relating to a directional orientation of a second sensedutility with respect to the first position of the locator and the firstdirectional orientation of the first sensed utility.
 16. A method fordisplaying information relating to one or more utilities on a userdevice, comprising: generating, on a display device, a visualrepresentation of information regarding one or more sensed utilities,wherein the visual representation includes one or more of arepresentation of information relating to a depth of at least one sensedutility with respect to a first position of the locator, arepresentation of information relating to a type of the at least onesensed utility, and a representation of information relating to adirection of current relating to the at least one sensed utility. 17.The method of claim 16, wherein the visual representation includes: arepresentation of information relating to a first depth of a firstsensed utility with respect to a first position of the locator; and arepresentation of information relating to a second depth of a secondsensed utility with respect to the first position of the locator and thefirst depth of the first sensed utility.
 18. The method of claim 17,wherein the visual representation further includes: a representation ofinformation relating to a height of a third sensed utility with respectto the first position of the locator, the first depth of the firstsensed utility, and the second depth of the second sensed utility. 19.The method of claim 17, further comprising: providing a first colorrepresentation relating to the first depth relative to the firstposition of the locator; and providing a second color representationrelating to the second depth relative to the first position of thelocator.
 20. The method of claim 17, further comprising: providing afirst length representation relating to the first depth relative to thefirst position of the locator; and providing a second lengthrepresentation relating to the second depth relative to the firstposition of the locator.
 21. A utility locator, comprising: a display; amemory; and a processing element coupled to the memory and/or display tovisually communicate information on the display associated with one ormore sensed utilities, including one or more of information includinginformation relating to a depth of at least one sensed utility withrespect to a first position of the locator, information relating to atype of the at least one sensed utility, and information relating to adirection of current relating to the at least one sensed utility.
 22. Autility locator, comprising: an antenna array for sensing a buriedutility; a memory; a processing element coupled to the memory forgenerating information associated with the buried utility; and a displaycoupled to the processing element and/or memory, wherein the displayprovides a user interface for visually communicate information regardingone or more sensed utilities by rendering information on the display,the displayed information including one or more of a representation ofdetected utility represented as a cluster of lines, a representation ofa detected utility represented as an envelope of lines, and arepresentation of one or more detected utilities as a grouped line.